The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Slow travel is a concept hitting all the "travel trends" lists recently, and I think (and hope) that travel post-Covid will include a lot more slow travel, too. The idea of spending more time in fewer places isn't appealing if you want to tick off a list of sightseeing hotspots, but if you try a slower pace and realise all of the benefits it can bring - getting to know a place better, meeting more locals, discovering off-the-beaten path gems that you'd otherwise miss, not to mention the sustainability advantages - then you might be won over! In Episode 185 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three travellers who are big fans of the slow travel concept. My first guest is Christine Williams who confesses she just might be one of the slowest travellers ever, and has been on the road for nearly a decade. She explains what slow travel looks like for her and her partner and why they sometimes stop somewhere for months at a time. Next, I talk to Caro Ryan who is a huge fan of the slowest travel pace of a

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the February 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, discussing The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub, and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group at https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people (including me!) dream of going to Antarctica, but only a small number ever get there. One thing's for sure: I've never met someone who's come back from Antarctica and found their trip a bit "meh". It's always an awe-inspiring experience, and the three guests I chat to in Episode 184 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast attest to that. First up, I chat with Suzanne Moore, who travelled to Antarctica with her husband to celebrate their fortieth birthdays. As an ex-veterinarian, Suzy particularly loved the wildlife, but she's also a keen photographer, so the landscapes enticed her equally. Next I talk to Paul Pichugin, a photographer who went to Antarctica on a photographic assignment and got to experience the works: kayaking, snorkelling, even camping out on the Antarctic continent. Finally, I speak to Carolyn Beasley who has only very recently returned from Antarctica - recently enough, unfortunately, that her ship was stuck off the South American coast for some time as they returned to a Covid-19 i

So, here's a big question for you: can we justifying travelling in the era of climate change? It's a question that's been on my mind for quite a while now, and I've found two amazing travel journalists to help me ponder it more deeply. Episode 183 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast features Louise Southerden and Catherine Marshall and their very articulate thoughts on whether or not we can, in the future, still justify travel. Spoiler alert, though: nobody knows the answer. First up, I chat with Louise Southerden, in a conversation recorded before Covid-19 decimated travel completely - but her message is still the same. We talk about the benefits of travel personally and about Lou's responsibility as a travel writer, encouraging others to travel, to do so in a sustainable way. I then talk to Catherine Marshall and we cover topics like flight shame, whether travel is a selfish pursuit, what drives people to need to travel and what benefits travel can bring the world. We also touch on how the Covid-19 pandemic

Travel can change us in so many positive ways - that's one of the main reasons I keep doing it! In Episode 182 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three guests about some of the many and varied ways that travel has continued to their ongoing learning and personal development. First up, I chat with Kiki Wong. She started out on an academic path to becoming a doctor but stepped off this track when - you won't be surprised to know - an amazing offer to travel appeared.  Next, I speak with Nicci O'Mara who learnt a lot about parenting (and about her children) during a family trip to Italy. On Nicci's birthday, events unfolded which turned out to be a big turning point in personal development for all of them! Finally, I talk with Nate Taiaroa who has spent year living and travelling in Africa, learning so much from these experiences that he went into business to help others get to have these life-changing personal development experiences too. Links: Kiki Wong - Nylon Pink - https://www.nylonpink.tv  N

I used to be a staunch anti-group-travel kind of gal. I went literally decades without even a thought of joining a group tour! But in Episode 181 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I admit the error of my ways and chat with three guests who've all had truly unique and wonderful small group travel experiences. First up, I speak to Suzanne Moore, a local Perth writer who spent a week last year walking the Cape to Cape track in the south-west of my home state of Western Australia. Suzy had some of the same reservations about travelling with a group that I've had in the past, but they definitely proved to be unfounded. My next guest is Louise Southerden and we chat about the benefits of specifically-themed small group tours. This is definitely a case where travelling with a group can actually exceed the experience of independent travel (something I never would have dreamt of conceding a few years back!). Finally, Andrew Tyree and I chat about what can go wrong with group travel - and he should know, as he leads

Normally a podcast anniversary is a purely joyous occasion - I've been putting out The Thoughtful Travel Podcast consistently for four whole years now! - but in the times of Covid-19 it's certainly a bittersweet time to be talking about anything connected to travel. I debated long and hard about how to celebrate and then realised that, stuck as I am at home, it was finally time to take a deep dive into my huge stack of travel journals documenting past trips. I hoped to find some gems and lessons to share with you all - and I think I did, or perhaps I just spent a completely self-indulgent day in my own memories - I'll let you be the judge! There'll be photos and more at the show notes. Enjoy! Links: Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/180 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

January 2020 was a horrible time for Australia - 186,000 square kilometres of Australia burnt in bushfires (that's an area half the size of Germany); 34 people lost their lives and they estimate up to a billion animals perished. Yep - it was awful, and the aftermath has been awful for the tourism industry too, because many people had to cancel trips during our peak travel season. So, what to do? I'll put on an episode later in the year about the specific parts of Australia you can travel to in order to help out with bushfire recovery but for now, I've interviewed two Australian women who have told me all about the efforts to restore tourism so far, and talked about the far-reaching effects - and possibly some benefits - arising out of the post-bushfire chaos. First up, I chat with Louise Southerden, firstly about some of the great tourism initiatives helping out and then about the bigger picture and the opportunity to do good. Lou also touches on the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency movement, which we w

Oftentimes you can't choose the passenger sitting next to you on a plane. This can be both good and bad! Episode 178 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast includes conversations with three different guests who all have interesting tales to tell of someone they sat next to on a flight. First up, Paul Pichugin tells the hilarious tale of ... well, a woman passenger next to him, and I don't want to give the story away - you'll have to listen to it! Excuse my raucous laughter. Next, I chat with Laura Waters who broke the golden rule of avoiding conversation on a long haul flight - in case you get stuck talking with someone you don't want to talk to for the next ten hours - and it turned into something quite delightful. Finally, I talk to Dale Neill about a particularly intriguing passenger he sat next to on a flight across Australia some years back. Let's just say there was a lot of chocolate milk involved!  Links: Paul Pichugin - landscape and travel photographer - https://paulpichugin.com Laura Waters' website -

African travel seems to have been constantly on my radar lately - I guess it's nearly time for me to go and explore more of that continent? For now, at least, it'll be through Episode 177 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast because I've chatted with three guests lately who had intriguing tales to tell of Africa. First up, I chat with Rick Antonson. He has a delightfully unique reason for choosing to visit Timbuktu in Mali, and I loved hearing about what he found there. I then talk to Brighde Reed about the amazing destination of Rwanda - which is probably at the top of my want-to-visit African nations, and even more so after speaking with Brighde. Finally, Chris Daniels has had some great African experiences - largely part of his PhD in African Studies, so he knows his stuff - and we chat about visiting Somalia and Ethiopia in particular. Links: Episode 80 Travel in Africa - https://www.notaballerina.com/2018/01/travel-africa-episode-80-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html Episode 96 Remote Travel in Africa - http

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the January 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, discussing The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub, and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group at https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We sometimes see people doing glamorous jobs and travelling the world and think: wow, they have a great life! It's those kind of people who are in Episode 176 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast: I have a travel journalist, a guidebook writer and a guitarist who have all had the opportunity to travel widely and for long periods of time as part of their work. All of them are grateful for the travel and work they've been able to do, but there are definitely pros and cons to these kinds of careers. First up, I talk to Anna Chittenden who is a guidebook writer, travelling extensively throughout Asia. I'm a little envious of her in-depth experience of Japan, but it is definitely not a glamorous lifestyle. Next, I chat with Christine Retschlag, a travel journalist who darts around the globe with barely a break. We discuss that while much of this is a lot of fun there are some significantly difficult parts too. Finally, I speak with Kiki Wong who spent some years touring the world with her band Nylon Pink. We chat a

If you've ever wondered what it's really like to head out for days or even months and just keep walking, Episode 175 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast will give you many insights into hiking and walking experiences on your travels. I start off speaking with Laura Waters, who spent five months tramping from the top of New Zealand to the bottom. As you can imagine this is no easy feat at all (but there is a bonus to it all involving chocolate!). Next, Suzanne Moore describes a much shorter hike in Japan, and an experience that made us both laugh. Suzy will be back in a future episode describing a longer hike she did in south-west Australia - but this climb at Mt Yote is such a fun story! Finally, I chat to Rick Antonson who agreed - without even knowing where it was or anything about it - to walk the Kokoda Track with his neighbour. This was also not a simple trip but like nearly any trip that requires a lot of effort, it was incredibly rewarding. Links: Hiking When You Travel, Episode 124 - notaballerina.co

Travelling teaches us a lot - there's nothing like having a big range of different inputs in a short time to wake up your brain! Episode 174 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast includes chats with three travellers who've learnt some solid life lessons during their travels. I start off by chatting with Nicci O'Mara about a sad but important life-changing moment that happened to her in Africa a couple of decades ago. We talk about how important it is to grab life by the horns and not put off things we really want to do. Next, I talk with Eugene Devereux about his recent experiences exploring south-east Asia, an area very different to his homeland of Ireland. He explains that he learnt a lot of life lessons by experiencing such different cultures and coming to understand their history, too. Finally I chat with Kate Manser about a lesson she learnt about hospitality while she was travelling in remote Indonesia. We also circle back to something similar to Nicci's lesson and discuss why you should jump at any trave

There's a bit of a myth out there that we travellers are brave, confident people who never get anxious. From my own life and knowing many other travel-loving friends who also have experienced anxiety, I can promise you this is wrong. Episode 173 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast includes two very special conversations with women who divulge some of their very personal experiences with anxiety and its connection with travel. Firstly, I speak with Megan Blandford (who literally wrote the book on anxiety!) about some of her experiences with anxiety during her travels. Megan gives some really specific examples of how anxiety gripped her on trips to Japan and earlier on a dolphin swim trip and I personally find this one of the best ways to understand more about what anxiety can look like on our travels. I then get the chance to chat with Laura Waters who has just published a book that also features a lot of her anxiety: Laura spend five months hiking from one end of New Zealand to the other and what happened to

Wanting to help others when we travel is a common theme amongst experienced travellers, because we've all realised how lucky we are and how unlucky many people around the world are. In Episode 172 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I'm not giving you all the answers on how to solve the world's problems but I do want to bring you stories from three travellers who've helped others in three different ways.  First up I talk with Veronica from Happily Made about her experiences in Cambodia and beyond, trying to figure out ways to help women in poverty or who need some way to support their children going to school. Veronica's Happily Made business is a great example of a sustainable way to help - she sells toys and other knitted products made by women who work out of their homes in Cambodia. Next, I chat with Marilyn from the Wow Travel Club who's also had lots of different experiences in helping others when she travels, and she tells the story of how a Dining for Women project she was involved with took her to Vie

It's one thing to travel to a foreign country, but to completely migrate and move to another country is another level of experience entirely! In Episode 171 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I'm chatting with three guests who've made the big move: one to Mexico, one to Japan, and one from Brazil to Australia. We've got half the world covered! First up, I talk with Queen D Michele who retired from her job as a school teacher in the United States and moved to Mexico. I asked her what her family and friends thought about her big move which opened up one of the most amazing stories of all! Next, I chat to Suzanne Kamata who is an American married to a Japanese man and living in a fairly rural part of Japan. It's interesting for me to hear how she feels there after several decades. Finally, Luana Marchi explains about the decision she and her husband made to leave their home country of Brazil and migrate to Australia - though at the start, they weren't so sure of their lifelong plans. Links: Episode 162 on Choo

It's 2020 (and arguably not the start of the decade but let's skip that discussion) and I want to look back on the years from 2010 until now. Travel has changed a LOT in that decade - more than I realised, until I started thinking more deeply about it and asking what some of my favourite thoughtful travellers thought. In Episode 170 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I talk about many of the ways in which how we travel, why we travel, what we do when we travel, and more, has changed since 2010. A shout out to my lovely friend Kristy Morton, first, for giving me the idea for this episode - fitting, since she was the very first guest I ever interviewed! In this episode, you'll hear a fabulous variety of ideas and opinions from my fellow travel media from the Australian Society of Travel Writers and, just because I realised I needed diversity (it was an all-female show until then!) a snippet from my friend Ian, aka The Barefoot Backpacker, from the UK. The topics traverse a wide range: of course, the incredible

Let's kick off 2020 with something we've never covered on The Thoughtful Travel Podcast before: romance and travel! Episode 169 covers the whole gamut of travel romance, from dating apps to testing new relationships by travelling together and exploring the cultural differences that come up when you date someone from a different country. First up, I chat with Christine Retschlag who has done a lot of research on dating as she travels the globe! She's no stranger to testing out a dating app in a new city and has discovered it's a fascinating way to meet the locals. Next, I speak with Ian and Ann who actually did meet on a dating site, and say that the fact they both liked travel was a crucial part of them becoming a couple. I love how they road-tested their relationship quite literally and quite early - and now they travel full-time. Finally, I speak with Dan Johnston who has lived abroad in a range of different countries in Europe and central America. His dating experiences are also interesting and we reali

Celebrating the turn of the year can be a lot of fun, and if you happen to be somewhere away from home for December 31, it can be even more fun and memorable.  This week's episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is a replay of my first New Year's Eve travel episode from three years ago, as I know many current listeners won't have heard it. It features Kim-Ling's story of New Year's Eve on Ibiza - and it's not what you think - and Di's story of what makes up a wonderful New Year's Eve in Tasmania. Of course, I also mention some of my memorable New Year's Eve celebrations - I think one of my favourites was a year in Bratislava with local Slovak friends and my sister (on her honeymoon, no less!), featuring snow(wo)men and fire crackers. This year, I'll be near the beach, always a good way to ring in a new year, I think! Links: Kim-Ling at Travel-Ling - https://travel-ling.com/ Di at Travelletto - https://travelletto.com  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoug